The present invention relates to kites and methods of repairing kites and more particularly to scale model airplane kites, and more specifically, the kites in this invention are made of reinforced STYROFOAM, an expanded rigid polystyrene plastic foam material, are easy to repair, and are a substantially to-scale representation of the silhouette of the actual airplanes.
The making of kites in various shapes is well known and is disclosed, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,516 issued to Wheat et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,344 issued to Thomas, U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,816 issued to Acosta, U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,283 issued to DeYarman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,912,204 issued to Wheat et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,758,057 issued to Stratton, U.S. Pat. No. 3,366,354 issued to Sterba, U.S. Pat. No. 3,076,626 issued to Andrews, U.S. Pat. No. 2,779,553 issued to Troxell, U.S. Pat. No. 2,778,154 issued to Dauwe, U.S. Pat. No. 2,593,979 issued to Calhoun, U.S. Pat. No. 2,750,136 issued to Stracke, Jr., and U.S. Pat. No. 2,744,702 issued to Briggs.
More particularly, Wheat et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,912,204, and Wheat et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,516, disclose captive airfoil apparatus. The Wheat '204 patent discloses a captive airfoil preferably of a high lift, high drag design such as a vintage aircraft of the 1910-1930 era. The captive airfoil is tethered by two tether lines each attached to one of the wings at a point near the outer end thereof and spaced relative to one another at about 60-90 degrees. By tethering the airfoil in this manner, the need for a stabilizing kite tail is eliminated. The Wheat '516 patent discloses a method for using a high lift, high drag airfoil on both the lifting wings and the horizontal stabilizer of an airfoil in order to increase the stability of the aircraft at low airspeeds without the use of a stabilizing kite tail. This allows for the airfoil to be flown with a single tether line attached to the nose of the aircraft.
Thomas, U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,344, discloses an airplane kite shaped to generally resemble a jet powered airplane, formed of a lightweight plastic foam material, having a fuselage and vertical stabilizer shaped to resemble the side view of a jet airplane, and a wing and horizontal stabilizer shaped to represent the swept back wings of a jet airplane. The Thomas '344 kite is not a scale representation of an actual airplane because the horizontal and vertical stabilizers are enlarged relative to the normal dimensions of actual jet powered aircraft and the stabilizers and wing are repositioned from that of the original aircraft to provide lift and flight stability when flown from a tether line attached behind the wings of the kite.
Sterba, U.S. Pat. No. 3,366,354, discloses a non-scale toy airplane or glider made of balsa wood and including a U-shaped metal or plastic bracket with laterally projecting lugs on the upper ends of the bracket, an elongated lengthwise wing receiving slot, a spring wire bale for attaching a tether, adhesive tape for joining the wings and elevators, and a transparent plastic canopy. The bracket is used as a weight to stabilize the toy airplane and to provide a mounting area for the tether line.
Andrews, U.S. Pat. No. 3,076,626, Dauwe, U.S. Pat. No. 2,778,154, Acosta, U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,816, and Stratton, U.S. Pat. No. 3,758,057, disclose airplane kites or gliders including a skeletal frame or support frame covered at least in part by a lightweight, flexible sheet material such as paper or plastic. Andrews '626 is directed to a generally plane shaped traditional kite resembling but not modeling a swept wing aeroplane. Dauwe '154 is directed to a captive glider with a hingible wing connection to vary the direction of the flight. The Acosta '916 kite includes an arrow shaped body formed of styrene or air-inflated fuselage-shaped plastic cushion. Stratton '057 is directed to a non-scale kite designed to resemble a Nieuport biplane of World War I.
Briggs, U.S. Pat. No. 2,744,702, discloses a Pegasus shaped kite having a fuselage including a reinforcing wire. This wire is bent to extend throughout the fuselage and includes a loop for attaching the kite to a string or tethering line.
Calhoun, U.S. Pat. No. 2,593,979, discloses a tethered toy in the general shape of an airplane which has a plastic fuselage covered with a silver coating and a wing which rotates about a wire strut support.
Although prior art patents disclose various forms of kites, there exists the need for a flyable scale model airplane kite representing the horizontal and vertical silhouette of actual airplanes, which is easy to fly, sturdy in construction, and easily repairable, an inexpensive scale model kite with realistic markings, a kite which is easily repaired, a kite with reinforcing members, rods, dowels, pegs, pins, or skewers at stress points, a kite with a variable tether attachment point to adapt for varying wind conditions, and an improved airplane kite which is of scale form and is sufficiently rigid to withstand the normal wear and tear associated with the flying of kites in low to high wind conditions.